Analysis of "Editha"
"Editha" is essentially about a women, named Editha, who attempts to pressure her fiance into enlisting for a war effort. She believes that the war is glorious and that he must enlist and take part in this amazing disturbance of piece. George, her fiance finally does enlist but is killed in the war.
It was not uncommon for William Dean Howells to express his opinions on political and social issues through his works of literature and it was also no secret that he strongly opposed the Spanish American War. Despite the fact that the Spanish-American War is never definitively mentioned in "Editha", it is clear that Howells used this story to express his opposition. Howells not only opposed the war itself, but he also berated those who blindly supported the war in the name of American Patriotism. Editha herself is the representation of the American people who blindly supported the war. As Silverstein stated, "The story impales Editha, who embodies all the nonsense about the heroic romanticism of war and whose false sense of values drives her unfortunate fiance to a premature death in a questionable war"(Gordon). She is so excited at the news of an approaching war, supporting it with all her strength but remaining blind to the consequences that comes with war. She described the war as a "sacred" and "glorious" war (Howells, 376). She even, at one point, says "I call any war glorious that is for the liberation of people who have been struggling for years against the cruelest oppression" (Howells, 377). This quote is curiously similar to the justification that the United States used to enter the Spanish American War in the first place. Edithas' version of war is a heavily romanticized one; she had never been in a war, she never knew what it was like. When Editha heard of a war, her mind instantly went to a heavily romanticized, idealistic version of war where her fiance enlists and fight glorious battles and emerges victorious, coming back home with honor. She surely never expected him to die, which is exactly what he did. Howells did this to show the difference between the idealistic and realistic versions of war. The blind support and romanticized feelings towards war represent the belief and the idealistic version of war that most people think of when they hear of war. George's death symbolizes the unforeseen consequences that war brings with it. It represents the realistic version of war that has been hidden behind the glamorized mask of noble and honorable battles resulting in heroic victories. To further represent the tight grip that idealism has on people, Howells shows Editha "Reverting to a comfortable acceptance of former cherished romantic values"(Piacentino).
Another, much less explored theme that is evident in this story is the role of genders at that time period. The culturally accepted beliefs concerning women of Howell's time definitely show in this story. Editha was not allowed to join the war effort despite the fact that she showed extreme patriotism and support for the war effort simply because she was a woman. This led her to push her husband to enlist so she could validate his worthiness to be with her and to also indirectly show her support for the war. Whether or not this was Howells' intent, this story gives a negative connotation to the idea of women stepping out of their socially acceptable gender role. Women, up until the late twentieth century, were supposed to be submissive, passive individuals that supported whatever decisions their male partners made. However, Editha represents the opposite of this ideal role of women as she possesses "language, will, and energy"(Godspeed). Instead of being passive and supportive of Georges decision, she actively tries to get her fiance to join the war effort, something he clearly does not want to do. Eventually, he gives into Edithas' demands and he finally enlists, only to be killed in one of the first battles of the war. This not only shows extreme irony but also sets up Editha as a type of villain. What Howells is saying here is that Edithas' inability to follow her society's' gender rules led to the death of her fiance and that his death could have been avoided had she not pushed him into enlisting. She is further set up as a villain when she goes to visit Mrs. Gearson, Georges mother. Georges mother all but attacks Editha for her foolish and reckless actions, stating that she was glad that George was killed before he could kill anyone else's children. Now it has been made clear that Editha was not only responsible for the death of George, but also responsible for any lives that George took before he died or the lives he could have taken if he had not died, all because Editha did not remain within her gender role.
Several connections can be made between "Editha" and the Song "War" by Edwin Starr. For example, one of the most prominent lyrics in the song is "War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing". This perfectly coincides with the fact that George and Mrs. Gearson are opposed to the war that Editha is so excited about. Another similarity can be found through the lyrics "'Cause it means destruction of innocent lives ,war means tears to thousands of mothers eyes, when their sons go off to fight and lose their lives" and the fact that George was killed in the war and his mother was extremely sad but also happy that he died before he could kill any other innocent lives.